Villars, Switzerland

Del Re family from SWITZERLAND writes:

Agree with most of the comments made on Villars (eg. location from Geneva airport, families-friendly, English speaking instructors, etc. etc.)
However, all the above has its negatives.
1) Far too overcrowded on the few piste it offers, mostly inexperienced skiers, many beginners in the ski schools (many over from the UK thanks to EasyJet), travelling too fast, out of control or simply acting silly. Over the half-term week in February I personally witnessed 2 broken arms and at least 14 red helicopter takeoffs from the Villars-Les Chaux area....
2) No snow cannons on the Villars piste. Thanks to our environmental shortsightedness the snow level remains high and the runs to the town become treacherous muddy/slushy (this year from early February). Most smart resorts employ snow cannons to ensure a good surface is restored every night (Italy and France have some excellent examples). Villars has virtually no such installations. Unless they "wake up and smell the roses" they will lose out to higher altitude resorts (eg. Verbier, Ovronnaz, Crans, etc.). Time to invest......
The best advice for skiing in Villars when it is crowded is:
a) get on the piste around 8.30am when the snow is crisp and most of the visitors are still sleeping. Enjoy Villars for about 2 hours with no queues and no crazy Englishmen hurtling down the mountain with the look of sheer panic on their faces.
b) move over to Les Diablerets about 10.30am-11.00am. Ski and eat lunch there (less queues, better service, fewer silly skiers).
c) Return to Villars town (if the runs to resort are passable) around 3pm-3.30pm before the whole mass of skiers begins the descent. Most of the helicopters were seen in this "twilight time" 3.30pm-4.30pm when the legs are tired, the runs are mushy, the room on the piste is limited, etc.
Final comment: why would anyone consider skiing without a helmet. It is beyond logic to understand why we insist it on children (weighing one third our weight and travelling half our speed) but rarely see it on adults. A simple risk analysis would immediately identify that it is the adults that are far greater at risk (higher centre of gravity, less elastic, greater momentum, harder impact, etc.)
So would the 14 incidents I witnessed. All adults getting taken away in helicopter. Food for thought.

Safe skiing.....

2008-03-01